A Thursday evening matchup with major playoff implications on the line will take place on the ice as the Anaheim Ducks make the business trip to Seattle to face off with the Kraken. Join us for our NHL odds series where our Ducks-Kraken prediction and pick will be made.
Although the Ducks' playoff chances long set sail quite a while ago, and Anaheim would certainly like to rid themselves of a long and torturous five-game losing streak that hasn't helped with the team's overall morale. With a 23-41-10 record on the season, the Ducks are definitely limping their way to the finish line while licking their wounds.
The exact opposite can be said for the Kraken, as Seattle is narrowly holding onto the top Wild Card spot in the west with 88 overall points on the season. Most recently, the Kraken was silenced by the Wild the last time out on the ice in a disheartening 5-1 defeat that saw Seattle fail to find the back of the net with 36 shots on goal. Fresh off of that loss, the urgency to continue winning remains at an all-time high for the Kraken.
Here are the Ducks-Kraken NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Odds: Ducks-Kraken Odds
Anaheim Ducks: +1.5 (+118)
Los Angeles Kraken: -1.5 (-142)
Over: 6.5 (-118)
Under: 6.5 (-104)
How To Watch Ducks vs. Kraken
TV: ESPN+
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 10:00 ET/7:00 PT
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Ducks Could Cover The Spread
On paper, the Ducks haven't done a whole lot of winning this season, but one thing that they have been somewhat decent at has been their ability to cover the spread has been far better with a 35-39 mark ATS. Still, the Ducks remain as one of the worst teams that hockey has to offer, as they will need to string together a phenomenal combined effort and limit their mistakes to get the job done tonight.
For starters, it will be of the utmost importance for the Ducks to find some sort of threat offensively. Whether it is through capitalizing on the extra-man advantage or dominating the time of attack in the Kraken zone, Anaheim won't be able to cover and even come out victorious if they cannot find a way to improve their offensive efficiency. As a whole, the Ducks only average a measly 2.53 scores per contest, so be on the lookout for Trevor Zegras and whether or not he is able to suit up for play as he deals with a lower-body injury. If he is healthy enough, he will prove to be a sight for sore eyes for the Ducks as Zegras leads the team in most offensive statistical categories.
Of course this will all be for not if goalie John Gibson appears sluggish and not in his game from the opening face-off. Fresh off of allowing five goals on 44 shots in the 5-1 loss to the Avalanche, Gibson needs to have a bounce-back start to help his team cover the spread in a big way.
Why The Kraken Could Cover The Spread
Without a doubt, the Seattle Kraken enter Thursday night as heavy favorites over the lowly Ducks, but by no means can they afford to take Anaheim for granted in such a tight wild card race in the Western Conference. At first glance, it also doesn't help that the Kraken are only 16-15-4 within the confines of their home arena, as Seattle has found most of their success this season as the road team. In fact, Seattle is 0-3-1 in their last four home games played overall.
Nevertheless, the key ingredient for a spread-covering victory in this one will happen to fall on the shoulders of a goalie situation that has left fans feeling rather impatient. Alas, the poor play of Phillip Grubauer has opened up the door of backup net-minder Martin Jones, as the latter came on in relief in the 5-1 loss to Minnesota and made six saves overall. Statistically, Jones is the better option at the moment if the Kraken is going to return to the win column in front of the home fans, as he was also seen as the first goaltender off the ice on Thursday further indicating that he will get the start later tonight.
With the hopes that goalie Martin Jones can shut down an underwhelming Ducks offensive attack, the Kraken wouldn't be opposed in finding some positive momentum with the puck in their possession as well. With one of the more sluggish power-play units in the league, the Kraken only end up scoring on 19% of their extra-man advantage opportunities. Since the Ducks will most likely commit more than a few penalties in this one, it will be up to Seattle to capitalize on these types of scoring chances.
Final Ducks-Kraken Prediction & Pick
With the Kraken having eyes on the finish line en route to capturing their first-ever Stanley Cup playoff berth in franchise history, Seattle will come out as the more desperate team in this one as this matchup is obviously as close to a must-win contest as possible. Side with the Kraken and don't spend any more time thinking otherwise!
Final Ducks-Kraken Prediction & Pick: Kraken -1.5 (-142)
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